This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
In motor vehicles such as vans, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles, it is desirable that passenger seat assemblies be moveable between a number of positions, such as a design position wherein an occupant can sit upon the seat portion of the seat assembly, and an access position wherein the seat assembly is tumbled forward to allow access to cargo or additional seating located behind the seat assembly. It is also desirable to permit the seat assembly to be optionally stowable on-board the vehicle when not in use to provide additional or improved storage capacity for carrying cargo.
One potential solution to this desire for additional storage capacity is a seat assembly that is capable of being stowed within a stowage compartment located within the floor of the vehicle (e.g. below a load floor of the vehicle). Typically, a panel of the load floor is removed to reveal the stowage compartment. Then the seat assembly is folded and moved into the stowage compartment to be covered by the replaced panel of the load floor. Such stowage compartments can also be used to store cargo under the load floor when the seat assembly is not stowed. One drawback of current vehicles with stowable seats is the need to fold or articulate large floor panel assemblies around multiple seat assemblies and around the risers that support the deployed seat assembly in order to access the stowage compartment. Another drawback of the current vehicles is that the load floor typically includes apertures where the seat risers extend through the load floor. Such apertures are typically larger than the risers to account for manufacturing tolerances and to permit the seat assembly to be moved between the design position and the access position. Such apertures in the load floor can permit errant objects to fall under the load floor.
Thus, while vehicle floor assemblies for stowable seat assemblies have generally worked for their intended purpose, there remains a need for continuous improvement in the relevant art.